Wilmington, NC News

Archive for November, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC (AP) — The Supreme Court says it will hear arguments over President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, setting up an election-year showdown over the White House’s main domestic policy achievement.

The justices on Monday revealed they would take the case. That means arguments could come in March, allowing plenty of time for a decision in late June, just over four months before Election Day.

The health care case could be the high court’s most significant and political undertaking since the 5-4 decision in Bush v. Gore nearly 11 years ago. That ruling effectively sealed George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential election victory.

Republicans have called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act unconstitutional since before Obama signed it into law in March 2010. But federal appeals courts have been split on their assessment.

ORLANDO, FL (AP) – A study finds that offering people free medicines after a heart attack can help cut the chances they will suffer another one. It also saves them about $500 for health care over the next year without raising costs for insurers.

However, doctors were shocked that only about half of these patients filled their prescriptions even though they got them for free.

Insurance company Aetna says it soon will start offering certain heart medicines such as cholesterol-lowering statin drugs for free or with a reduced copay to some heart attack survivors because of these results. Aetna helped sponsor the study.

CAMP LEJEUNE, NC (AP) — The federal agency leading the health survey about contaminated water at Camp Lejeune is using YouTube to reach out to service members and civilians who worked at the base and their families.

The Daily News of Jacksonville reported that the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the Marine Corps have released three public service announcements on YouTube.

Spokeswoman Vivi Abrams says so far, the agency has sent out almost 284,000 surveys and received more than 63,300 responses. The deadline to submit the survey is the end of this year.

The results of the survey are expected to provide statistical information about health effects of exposure to chemical contaminants in the Camp Lejeune drinking water between the 1950s and 1980s.